Food Symbolizes Our Gratitude to God

Food is a symbol of our gratitude to God and our mutual appreciation for one another. It is a commodity to share as well as an expression of how much we care. Feeding the hungry is a virtue that must never be forgotten, dining with friends a value we cherish all the more. It is good to celebrate those moments—rare as they may be—where companionship around the table becomes a form of communion, where fantastic food seals friendships, where our vitality and our spirituality truly "wine and dine" together.

—from the book Table of Plenty: Good Food for Body and Spirit

†Quote "Can there be a more fitting pursuit in youth or a more valuable possession in old age than a knowledge of Holy Scripture? In the midst of storms it will preserve you from the dangers of shipwreck and guide you to the shore of an enchanting paradise and the ever-lasting bliss of the angels." — St. Boniface

† MEDITATION OF THE DAY "Know that our faith is strengthened by the resurrection of Christ. The passion of Christ represents the misery of our present life, while the resurrection of Christ gives us a brilliant glimpse of the happiness of the future life. Let us apply ourselves energetically in the present life, and hope in the future. Now is the time for painful struggle; then will come the recompense. Those who are lazy about carrying out their work will be brazenly impudent if they expect the recompense." — St. Augustine, p. 61 AN EXCERPT FROM Augustine Day by Day

† VERSE OF THE DAY "For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God." Colossians 1:9-10

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BL. MARIA FORTUNATA VITI

Blessed Maria Fortunata Viti (1827–1922) was born in Italy, the eldest daughter of nine children. Her father had a gambling and alcohol addiction, and her mother died when she was 14 years old. Maria then cared for her younger siblings and worked as a housekeeper to earn money for the family as her father sunk deeper into his addiction. Maria rejected an offer for marriage, deciding instead to become a Benedictine nun at the age of 24. Sr. Maria Fortunata, illiterate her entire life, spent more than seventy years in the monastery as a housekeeper attending to the washing, sewing, and other simple tasks, which was her path to holiness. She was admired for her great simplicity of heart, and her confessor testified that she was often accosted by the devil with threats, physical attacks, and vile insults in attempts to break her virtue. She had great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament and made frequent visits to the chapel tabernacle as she carried out her daily tasks. She died at the age of 95, and after her death miracles were reported at her grave. She is a patron saint against poverty, temptations, loss of parents, and mental illness. Her feast day is November 20th.

Tuesday of the Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time Lectionary: 498

Reading 1 RV 3:1-6, 14-22

I, John, heard the Lord saying to me: "To the angel of the Church in Sardis, write this:

"'The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this: "I know your works, that you have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Be watchful and strengthen what is left, which is going to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God. Remember then how you accepted and heard; keep it, and repent. If you are not watchful, I will come like a thief, and you will never know at what hour I will come upon you. However, you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; they will walk with me dressed in white, because they are worthy.

"'The victor will thus be dressed in white, and I will never erase his name from the book of life but will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father and of his angels.

"'Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

"To the angel of the Church in Laodicea, write this:

"'The Amen, the faithful and true witness, the source of God's creation, says this: "I know your works; I know that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either cold or hot. So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,' and yet do not realize that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich, and white garments to put on so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed, and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent.

"'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, then I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me. I will give the victor the right to sit with me on my throne, as I myself first won the victory and sit with my Father on his throne.

"'Whoever has ears ought to hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'"

Responsorial Psalm PS 15:2-3A, 3BC-4AB, 5 R. (Rev. 3: 21) I will seat the victor beside me on my throne. He who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue. R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne. Who harms not his fellow man, nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor; By whom the reprobate is despised, while he honors those who fear the LORD. R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne. Who lends not his money at usury and accepts no bribe against the innocent. He who does these things shall never be disturbed. R. I will seat the victor beside me on my throne.

Gospel LK 19:1-10

At that time Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly and received him with joy. When they saw this, they began to grumble, saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

Meditation: Luke 19:1-10

Zacchaeus. . . was seeking to see who Jesus was. (Luke 19:2, 3)

Why was the town's chief tax collector so eager to catch a glimpse of Jesus? Perhaps he was just curious, or maybe he just wanted to see what all the fuss was about. Whatever the case, this fellow, who got rich off the sweat of his neighbors, was so intent on seeing Jesus that he climbed a sycamore tree.

Like Zacchaeus, many holy men and women began their journey to Christ mired in sin but curious about the Lord. Thomas Merton, the twentieth-century Trappist monk, mystic, and writer, was a confused young man without direction. According to his autobiography, The Seven Storey Mountain, he drank heavily, spent money freely, and was involved in numerous illicit relationships. But he was also a seeker. Through a number of mentors and spiritual books, Merton caught a glimpse of Jesus, and that changed everything for him.

Another modern-day seeker was Dorothy Day. An idealistic young woman, she longed for a more just society and looked to politics and economic policy for solutions. Day lived a bohemian lifestyle, had an abortion, and then lived with another man and bore his child out of wedlock. Eventually she found God, and became a tireless champion of the Church's teachings on social justice.

If you had known Merton or Day before their conversions, would you have seen a person who was seeking God? Or would you have dismissed them because of how they were living? The point is this: we can't judge people by their outward behaviors. Like Zacchaeus, Thomas Merton, and Dorothy Day, they may be searching for something—or Someone—that gives their lives meaning and purpose.

So if you know anyone who is engaged in sinful or destructive behaviors, don't distance yourself. You might be just the one to give that person a glimpse of the Lord! Maybe this will happen as you befriend her and quietly show her what Jesus means to you. Maybe it will happen by lending him a book to read or suggesting a movie to watch. It could even come about through an invitation to Mass.

God wants everyone who is seeking him to find him. And he just might use you to lead the way!

"Lord, open my eyes and my heart to those who are searching for you."

Revelation 3:1-6, 14-22 Psalm 15:2-5

2 cents : "Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise. Be earnest, therefore, and repent." The book of Revelation is an amazing work of art, like the art of creating the Ark of the Covenant, Mary our Blessed Mother. But the climactic ending of the bible is just the beginning. Revelation has the promises held and promises kept. Revelation is ongoing. It is the present tense, revelation. It is the forever now in Heaven. What was present then is present now. Think Eucharist. Think timeless love. And the only reason time is created was for the generation of life. Generation now. If God reproves you, if God punishes you, it is because He loves you. I keep telling my wife that we need to make sure we punish our kids for acting up. When I punish my little ones they come back all loving on me, so sweet, whereas before, they were horrible scoundrels. When I'm punished, I'm brought closer to God. But do we need to be punished to be loved? No. But do we need to be punished when we lose our love...of God? I'll leave that for your discernment. God is good. We are susceptible to fail.

Let us pray: " I will seat the victor beside me on my throne. He who walks blamelessly and does justice; who thinks the truth in his heart and slanders not with his tongue." They say only saints are in Heaven. Do you want to go to Heaven? Everybody says yes said the priest when he asked the kids. Then he asked "does anybody want to die?" and the kids all said "no!". But the key is in the dying. Saints gave up so much, their entire life! Everybody wants Christmas presents, but what does Jesus get? How about giving Him the best of your life?

In comes our Lord, sees Zacky on a tree and yells to him ""Zacchaeus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house." EEEK!!! This shocked Zack. "ME? Why ME? REALLY?" Jesus is shocking. He does things nobody expects, like raising them from the dead. Zack was a dead thief. He was taking bribes and taking more than needed in his government job. I don't see many priests invited to family dinners, much less politicians! LOL. So we have the shocker, our Lord jolting life into Zack. Jesus didn't ask Zack to give to the poor, Jesus just asked to be welcomed in his home. Jesus didn't ask to make amends and reconcile, he just asked to come inside. But all these things happen naturally when Jesus comes in truly into your heart, shocking things happen. Shocking forgiveness. Shocking dinners. He wants to eat and that means SOO much, to eat with someone, like a first date, like when you sit with your loved ones, your family. Jesus- "I want to eat with you, yes You, of all people!".

you- "Why me Lord, I don't deserve it". Jesus "Who told you that you don't deserve it?". you- "I don't know, I live accused, I live wrong, I live alone". Jesus "You have never been alone, and I love you". you- "Can I hold you?" Jesus "I have given my whole life for you"

Our Lord said "Today salvation has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."

AMAZING!!!

adrian

For questions or comments contact Adrian@going4th.com. For more go to www.Going4th.com